The Divine Physician gently placed his finger on Deuce's glabella.
That wisp of faint green light was like a living, swimming snake.
Following the lines of Deuce's skin, it quickly burrowed into his body.
Ace held his breath.
Even though he was an expert in handling fire, he was stunned by this bizarre maneuver.
How did this look like saving someone?
It looked exactly like casting a curse!
"If it were an ordinary Doctor, they'd probably be writing their will right now."
The Divine Physician's voice was flat and devoid of emotion.
As he spoke, he pulled out an oddly shaped bottle from the medicine chest behind him.
Inside was half a bottle of bubbling black liquid.
"This is..."
Ace swallowed, instinctively feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't meant for human consumption.
"Fighting Poison with Poison."
The Divine Physician was succinct.
He didn't give Ace a chance to react.
He forced open Deuce's mouth and poured the entire bottle of black liquid down his throat.
Gulp, gulp.
Deuce's throat moved a few times.
Immediately afterward.
His body began to convulse violently.
His originally bluish-purple face instantly swelled up to the color of a pig's liver.
Even the veins on his neck bulged, looking as if they might burst at any moment.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Ace panicked, and the flames on his body erupted with a roar.
"Are you trying to kill him?!"
"Shut up."
The Divine Physician didn't even lift an eyelid.
He simply placed one hand on Deuce's chest.
A wave of even denser green light suddenly burst forth.
"Dominion of Life."
Hmmm—!
A visible green ripple spread out, centered on Deuce.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
Deuce's originally painful and twisted expression miraculously relaxed.
A layer of black, greasy substance seeped out of his skin.
That was the potent poison being forced out of his body!
Following a spray of black blood.
Deuce's breathing changed from weak and hurried to steady and strong.
That dying, pallid aura was receding at an astonishing speed.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A series of violent coughs rang out.
Deuce suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air.
As if he had just crawled back from the gates of hell.
"He's... alive?"
Ace froze in place, the flames on his hands unconsciously dying down.
He stared blankly at Deuce on the ground, then looked at the mysterious Doctor with the indifferent expression.
This was simply too incredible!
Just moments ago, he almost couldn't feel a pulse!
"Is this... a Divine Doctor?"
Ace muttered to himself.
Although the methods looked a bit terrifying, the result was instantaneous!
[Astonishment value from Portgas D. Ace +666!]
[Astonishment value from Deuce +888!]
Mordred listened to the prompt sounds in his mind, feeling secretly pleased.
The healing ability of the Divine Physician character was practically a BUG in this world.
As long as the victim didn't die instantly.
Stack a few Passive Abilities, activate an Ultimate Skill, and even the King of Hell would have to queue up.
"He's... fine now?"
Ace squatted down and carefully poked Deuce's face.
"Stop poking me, Captain..."
Deuce weakly rolled his eyes and said in a tired voice.
"If you poke me again, I'm going to deflate."
"That's great! Deuce! It's wonderful that you didn't die!"
Ace excitedly grabbed Deuce in a hug, nearly choking the newly awakened Vice-Captain.
"Cough, cough! Easy! My bones are breaking!"
Deuce cried out repeatedly in pain.
After a bit of fuss.
Ace stood up, putting away his usual joking demeanor.
He straightened the hat on his head and bowed deeply to the Divine Physician.
His movements were proper, and his tone was sincere.
"Thank you very much!"
"You saved my partner. I, Portgas D. Ace, will remember this favor!"
"From now on, whatever request you have, as long as I can fulfill it, I absolutely won't refuse!"
That was Ace.
Although he sometimes acted without thinking.
He valued gratitude and his partners more than his own life.
The Divine Physician merely glanced at him indifferently.
He wasn't moved just because the person standing before him was the son of the Pirate King.
"A Doctor's Benevolence... though I personally prefer sending people off."
"But since I happened upon the situation, I simply lent a hand."
Having said that.
He turned around and looked at the behemoth still shrouded in purple smoke.
The Hulk at this moment.
No longer possessed the world-shattering momentum he had moments ago.
Under the effect of the specially formulated Tranquilizing Poison Mist.
The big green guy was swaying and sitting on the ground, like a large man who had blacked out from drinking.
He was emitting muffled, indistinct growls.
The violent red light in his eyes was gradually fading.
Replaced by a look of confusion.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
As the anger dissipated.
The terrifying muscles, which had swelled up like rocks, began to shrink at a visible speed.
His massive three-meter-tall body rapidly shrank like a deflating balloon.
The green skin gradually reverted to normal flesh tone.
His ferocious face also became gentle and refined once more.
In less than half a minute.
The green monster capable of directly confronting a Logia ability user was gone.
In his place.
Stood a middle-aged man, naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of ripped shorts, looking incredibly frail.
Bruce Banner.
He sat bewildered in the ruins, pushing up nonexistent glasses on the bridge of his nose.
Then he subconsciously looked down at his wrist.
It was bare.
His Heart Rate Monitor had long since been blasted away somewhere unknown.
"My watch..."
Banner wanted to cry but had no tears.
That familiar feeling of exhaustion left him without the strength to even lift a finger.
"This..."
Ace's eyes widened, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.
Although he had seen Banner transform before.
Seeing this reverse transformation again still left him utterly shocked.
The monster who could snap Dragon Bones like sugar cane.
His true form was actually such a frail, middle-aged man?
The contrast was far too extreme!
[Astonishment value from Portgas D. Ace +99!]
"Is this what they mean by... never judge a book by its cover?"
Ace scratched his head, feeling his worldview had been shattered.
"Doctor."
The T-800, who had been standing silently nearby, approached—always arriving like the police after the incident was resolved.
He handed over a spare white coat.
"Heart rate restored to normal."
"Threat neutralized."
Banner took the white coat and tremblingly draped it over himself.
He looked up and glanced around.
The pirate ship, which was once quite imposing, had now been disassembled until only the base remained.
There were broken walls and ruins everywhere.
Seawater was continuously pouring in.
"Oh my god..."
Banner covered his face in agony.
"What have I done again..."
The once magnificent spade was now like an apple that had been half-eaten.
It was crumbling and a terrible sight to behold.
On the deck, the middle-aged man wearing the ill-fitting white coat was sitting, hugging his knees and trembling.
Bruce Banner.
At this moment, he looked utterly helpless, weak, and pathetic.
Even a slightly stronger sea breeze felt like it could knock him over.
If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes.
Who would dare believe that just a few minutes ago.
This seemingly fragile man had transformed into the green monster capable of withstanding Logia flames and tearing apart battleships with his bare hands?